4. Those Who Can't Do, Teach
This is another old adage, but sadly, it bears a particular significance in art schools, including film programs. The sad truth is, most film school professors only teach because they cannot make a living working in the film industry. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but they themselves are not very promising. Many film school professors are either too young and inexperienced to contribute anything of worth to a class they teach, or conversely, are old and past their prime, taking up teaching after retiring from a career in the film industry but teaching very old-fashioned and outdated lessons that are irrelevant in the modern filmmaking landscape. Luckily, this isn't always the case, and the top-tier film schools are often blessed with some very successful professors, often in the writing department (members of the writing faculty at NYU include recent Emmy winner Danny Strong ("Game Change"), and Melissa Matheson, the writer of "E.T.", among others). Additionally, there are some teachers who dedicated themselves to the academics of filmmaking and are immensely insightful and inspirational teachers. However, their lack of on-set experience becomes clear as soon as questions pertaining to that topic arise in class.